MacTech
Enlightened
I just recently discovered the joys of cooking on Cast Iron cookware, I *LOVE* this stuff, food tastes so good on it, every meal tastes like it was cooked outside over a campfire
perfectly browned, crispy bacon
delicious, fluffy scrambled eggs
fluffy, perfectly browned pancakes
nice thick burgers so juicy that they saturate the bun they're in
Steakhouse-quality steaks
deliciously roasted veggies
so far, *everything* I've cooked on my new CI cookware has come out *perfect*, for lunch today I've brought in a meal I cooked up last night on the CI skillet;
Prime Rib steak, cooked medium-rare, so tender that you can cut it with a fork, and a roasted veggie mix of orage peppers, onions (perfectly carmelized), mushroom mix (Shitake, Portabello, and some third kind I don't recognize) and Broccoli (not a fan of Broc, but this stuff came out darned good), the only seasoning was a seasoned Wok Oil, it looks and tastes like a five-star gourmet meal
CI is so incredibly awesome for cooking that I threw out my beat up old Teflon coated cookware, Cast Iron all the way for me now
That said, CI does have some idiosyncracies and quirks that you need to keep in mind if you're going to cook on it....
first, cook on low to medium heat only, as CI heats slowly but evenly, there are no hotspots or cool spots on a CI pan, the entire pan reaches the same temperature, it takes as long to cool as it does to heat up, so if you're cooking on too high of a temperature, it won't cool down instantly, CI holds heat for a good long time, one of the reasons why it's so great to cook on, consistent, even heat, it *CAN* take high heat, after all, it's a big chunk of iron in the shape of a pan, but bear in mind that CI holds heat for a long time
second, the *ENTIRE* pan gets hot, including the handle, be sure to use a handle cover or a good high-heat resistant oven mitt/glove, as the handle will be just as hot as the cooking surface
third, CI needs to be *seasoned*, yes, even the preseasoned pans, and that seasoning needs to be maintained, both the cooking surface and the underside of the pan, a properly seasoned pan is just as non-stick (if not moreso) than Teflon coated cookware, and unlike Teflon, if you damage the seasoning, the pan can be scrubbed clean and reseasoned, the seasoning can be repaired, unlike Teflon
how do you season CI?, easy, coat the pan with a fat or oil (crisco, pam, olive oil, bacon grease) and then put it in the oven (or barbecue grill) for an hour or so on 450-500 degrees, you're basically burning a layer of oxidized fat/oil into the pan, the pores of the iron will absorb the seasoning oil, protecting the pan from corrosion, and giving you a nice slick cooking surface that rivals teflon
be careful with acidic foods and/or water, as they can damage the seasoning, cooking tomatoes, or tomato based foods in a CI pan will weaken the seasoning, but a good solid wipedown and spraydown with Pam will restore the damage, which will repair itself in time
fourth, CI is versatile, the same skillet you cook your steak, bacon, and scrambled eggs in can be put in the oven for baking bread (cornbread, especially) or roasting meats, or making stews, it even can work as a slow cooker
fifth, CI is *HEALTHY*, food cooked on a properly seasoned CI pan needs almost no oil/fat to keep it from sticking, I've cooked thick burgers and steaks, and bacon on my skillet with *no* oil, they just don't stick, veggies and eggs require a light coat of Pam.
another side benefit of CI is that food cooked on CI actually absorbs some iron from the skillet itself, the longer the food is cooked and/or the more it's moved around, the more iron is absorbed, acidic foods (like tomatoes) also drastically increase their iron content
as my preseasoned Lodge skillet is still relatively new, the factory preseasoning is a good starting point, but just that, a starting point only, the more I use it, the better the seasoning layer will get
cleaning up CI is deceptively simple as well, as long as you bear in mind two cardinal rules....
One; NEVER use dish soap to wash a CI pan, as it will damage the seasoning, perhaps even remove it, forcing you to reseason the pan
Two; NEVER allow water (especially soapy water) to sit in the pan, it will also damage/remove the seasoning
here's how I clean my CI cookware
1; let it cool for about 5 minutes on a cold burner
2; wipe down the surface of the pan with a paper towel to remove food residue
when cooking bacon or other meats, these two steps are all that's neccecary to remove food residue, I then proceed to step 4
3; for veggie residue or egg residue, basically any stuck-on food, I fill the pan with hot water, and scrub with a fiber scrub brush to loosen the crud, then dump the water, repeat until the stuck on stuff is gone, then wipe dry and put it back on the burner on temperture setting 2 to drive off water/dry the pan
4; while the pan is still warm from the burner, give it a light coat of Pam on both the front and back, and put it back on the burner on 2 for another 3-5 minutes
5; after 3-5 minutes, turn the burner off and let the pan cool
6; hang the pan back up until I need it again
CI is *SO* much better than Teflon, for example;
CI can be reseasoned if the seasoning is damaged or the pan shows signs of rust, CI can be repaired, when a Teflon pan is damaged it cannot be repaired and must be thrown out
CI can be used on the stovetop *AND* in the oven, Teflon pans can't, due to plastic handles
well seasoned CI is more nonstick than Teflon
CI can take high heat on the cooktop and in the oven, Teflon coated pans cant
At temperatures above 450 degrees (5-6 on my cooktop) Teflon starts to outgas toxic vapors, Teflon will actually delaminate from the pan at 700-800, higher temps will cause Teflon to melt and release highly toxic vapors, Teflon fumes can kill pet birds, and PTFE fumes contain numerous known carcinogens, Teflon leaches poisonus compounds into food, Cast Iron leaches Iron into the food, an essential dietary nutrient
Teflon coated pans have a short functional lifespan, generally less than 2 years, CI pans can be passed down through generations, a 100 year old CI pan, well seasoned, will cook just as well (maybe even better) than a new CI pan, your CI pans will outlive you, and can be handed down to your children and grandchildren
To me, there's no downside to CI, I actually *like* the post-cooking cleanup ritual, its almost like a little cast-iron pet, keep it fed and seasoned, and it'll outlast me
perfectly browned, crispy bacon
delicious, fluffy scrambled eggs
fluffy, perfectly browned pancakes
nice thick burgers so juicy that they saturate the bun they're in
Steakhouse-quality steaks
deliciously roasted veggies
so far, *everything* I've cooked on my new CI cookware has come out *perfect*, for lunch today I've brought in a meal I cooked up last night on the CI skillet;
Prime Rib steak, cooked medium-rare, so tender that you can cut it with a fork, and a roasted veggie mix of orage peppers, onions (perfectly carmelized), mushroom mix (Shitake, Portabello, and some third kind I don't recognize) and Broccoli (not a fan of Broc, but this stuff came out darned good), the only seasoning was a seasoned Wok Oil, it looks and tastes like a five-star gourmet meal
CI is so incredibly awesome for cooking that I threw out my beat up old Teflon coated cookware, Cast Iron all the way for me now
That said, CI does have some idiosyncracies and quirks that you need to keep in mind if you're going to cook on it....
first, cook on low to medium heat only, as CI heats slowly but evenly, there are no hotspots or cool spots on a CI pan, the entire pan reaches the same temperature, it takes as long to cool as it does to heat up, so if you're cooking on too high of a temperature, it won't cool down instantly, CI holds heat for a good long time, one of the reasons why it's so great to cook on, consistent, even heat, it *CAN* take high heat, after all, it's a big chunk of iron in the shape of a pan, but bear in mind that CI holds heat for a long time
second, the *ENTIRE* pan gets hot, including the handle, be sure to use a handle cover or a good high-heat resistant oven mitt/glove, as the handle will be just as hot as the cooking surface
third, CI needs to be *seasoned*, yes, even the preseasoned pans, and that seasoning needs to be maintained, both the cooking surface and the underside of the pan, a properly seasoned pan is just as non-stick (if not moreso) than Teflon coated cookware, and unlike Teflon, if you damage the seasoning, the pan can be scrubbed clean and reseasoned, the seasoning can be repaired, unlike Teflon
how do you season CI?, easy, coat the pan with a fat or oil (crisco, pam, olive oil, bacon grease) and then put it in the oven (or barbecue grill) for an hour or so on 450-500 degrees, you're basically burning a layer of oxidized fat/oil into the pan, the pores of the iron will absorb the seasoning oil, protecting the pan from corrosion, and giving you a nice slick cooking surface that rivals teflon
be careful with acidic foods and/or water, as they can damage the seasoning, cooking tomatoes, or tomato based foods in a CI pan will weaken the seasoning, but a good solid wipedown and spraydown with Pam will restore the damage, which will repair itself in time
fourth, CI is versatile, the same skillet you cook your steak, bacon, and scrambled eggs in can be put in the oven for baking bread (cornbread, especially) or roasting meats, or making stews, it even can work as a slow cooker
fifth, CI is *HEALTHY*, food cooked on a properly seasoned CI pan needs almost no oil/fat to keep it from sticking, I've cooked thick burgers and steaks, and bacon on my skillet with *no* oil, they just don't stick, veggies and eggs require a light coat of Pam.
another side benefit of CI is that food cooked on CI actually absorbs some iron from the skillet itself, the longer the food is cooked and/or the more it's moved around, the more iron is absorbed, acidic foods (like tomatoes) also drastically increase their iron content
as my preseasoned Lodge skillet is still relatively new, the factory preseasoning is a good starting point, but just that, a starting point only, the more I use it, the better the seasoning layer will get
cleaning up CI is deceptively simple as well, as long as you bear in mind two cardinal rules....
One; NEVER use dish soap to wash a CI pan, as it will damage the seasoning, perhaps even remove it, forcing you to reseason the pan
Two; NEVER allow water (especially soapy water) to sit in the pan, it will also damage/remove the seasoning
here's how I clean my CI cookware
1; let it cool for about 5 minutes on a cold burner
2; wipe down the surface of the pan with a paper towel to remove food residue
when cooking bacon or other meats, these two steps are all that's neccecary to remove food residue, I then proceed to step 4
3; for veggie residue or egg residue, basically any stuck-on food, I fill the pan with hot water, and scrub with a fiber scrub brush to loosen the crud, then dump the water, repeat until the stuck on stuff is gone, then wipe dry and put it back on the burner on temperture setting 2 to drive off water/dry the pan
4; while the pan is still warm from the burner, give it a light coat of Pam on both the front and back, and put it back on the burner on 2 for another 3-5 minutes
5; after 3-5 minutes, turn the burner off and let the pan cool
6; hang the pan back up until I need it again
CI is *SO* much better than Teflon, for example;
CI can be reseasoned if the seasoning is damaged or the pan shows signs of rust, CI can be repaired, when a Teflon pan is damaged it cannot be repaired and must be thrown out
CI can be used on the stovetop *AND* in the oven, Teflon pans can't, due to plastic handles
well seasoned CI is more nonstick than Teflon
CI can take high heat on the cooktop and in the oven, Teflon coated pans cant
At temperatures above 450 degrees (5-6 on my cooktop) Teflon starts to outgas toxic vapors, Teflon will actually delaminate from the pan at 700-800, higher temps will cause Teflon to melt and release highly toxic vapors, Teflon fumes can kill pet birds, and PTFE fumes contain numerous known carcinogens, Teflon leaches poisonus compounds into food, Cast Iron leaches Iron into the food, an essential dietary nutrient
Teflon coated pans have a short functional lifespan, generally less than 2 years, CI pans can be passed down through generations, a 100 year old CI pan, well seasoned, will cook just as well (maybe even better) than a new CI pan, your CI pans will outlive you, and can be handed down to your children and grandchildren
To me, there's no downside to CI, I actually *like* the post-cooking cleanup ritual, its almost like a little cast-iron pet, keep it fed and seasoned, and it'll outlast me
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